Inishbofin is a small island off the western Connemara coast reached by ferry from Cleggan which is 7 kilometers north of Clifden. We arrived early in the morning and while we waited on the dock for the ferry we learned about “The Cleggan Disaster”. In October of 1927, an enormous storm hit without warning. In one hour forty-five men in small open boats were drowned in Cleggan Bay. There is a memorial near the Cleggan dock and a mural painted by school children on Inishbofin depicting the disaster. The Bay was very calm during our brief voyage and the sun was shining. As we sailed into the harbor we noticed what appeared to be the remnants of a castle. This skeleton of a structure, we later learned, is Cromwell’s 16th Century Barracks. It was used as a prison for catholic priests from all over the country after the English Statute of 1585 declared them guilty of high treason. Inishbofin was also hard hit by the Irish Famine in the mid 19th Century. The small but very interesting Heritage Museum on the Island informed us that in 1841 the population was 1404. Today it is less than 200. Now the economy is heavily dependent on tourism which is on the light, laid back side. Fishing and agriculture follow. Our impression was of a place untouched and unspoiled by modern civilization. We tramped the countryside following rudimentary roads and paths and at times climbing over stone fences. We watched kids splash around in the cold waters and observed families enjoying their summer.

The Ferry going to Inishbofin. Loading containers of milk.

Memorials to those killed in the 1927 Storm

Remains of an old church

Cromwell’s Castle: Fortress and Prison

The Peat Bogs

A man digging Peat with his two dogs. Peat is the main source of energy.

Sheep’s Head Front Yard Ornament

Inishbofin Lighthouse

Kids swim and snorkel in the Bay.

Connemara Mountains in the distance.

We climbed on ladders over the old stone walls that separate the pastures.

The sheep bleated at us.

We met a man who had just picked white mushrooms off the hillside where they grow. He told us that they appear very suddenly.

It is hard to tell if a structure is inhabited or not.